Use of Allegory and Symbols in William Goldgings Lord of the Flies Es

Use of Allegory and Symbols in William Goldging's Lord of the Flies   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   William Golding's Lord of the Flies allegorically shows the good and evil that co-exists in every human being.   Each character and symbol renders this possible by what it represents.   Ralph and Jack allegorically represent opposing political forces: Jack as the dictator or fascist and Ralph as the prototype of a democratic leader.   The island represents the archetypal garden and the conch shell represents power.   Golding uses British schoolboys to show progressive degeneration and to prove that a little bit of evil exists in all of us.   Each of these symbols aid in proving that we all have some evil in our hearts.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Ralph begins the story as a carefree boy who does not understand the tragedy befallen upon the boys.   Ralph soon realizes a need for authority and becomes the true leader of the boys.   He represents a democratic leader and a traditional form of government.   To enforce a parliamentary procedure, he uses to conch shell.   It symbolizes power and authority.   No boys are aloud to speak at a meeting without holding the conch.   He symbolizes the exact opposite of Jack; his evil and rage remain well hidden which aides in keeping peace on the island for most of the time.   In one scene, when Jack and Ralph are brought together physically after Jack refuses to help build the huts, Golding seems to prepare the way for a larger contrast of two life-views as he opposes Jack-the-hunter to Ralph-the-builder.   Ralph also helps to bridge the world of his common sense and Piggy's intelligence.   Golding's comparisons are reminiscent of moral allegories.   Ralph could not defend civilized ideals without his sidekick Piggy's insightful ideas.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Pig... ... parachutist symbolizes as the past, the legacy taught by history, which the older generation always expects the younger generation to accept and follow.   It could also represent the wellspring of evil, which becomes manifest most obviously in the act of one man killing another.   Perhaps it represents fallen man, whom Simon later redeems or sets free.     Ã‚  Ã‚   Lord of the Flies teaches many valuable lessons about evil and its impact on human behavior.   Golding uses allegory effectively to remind us of this potential hazard. Recent events in Afghanistan and New York City painfully remind us of this flaw in human nature.   Hopefully, this powerful novel will open people's eyes to the evil inside of them so they will not make the mistakes made by the characters in this book. Works Cited: Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Putnam Publishing, 1954.